With the environmental alarm bells chiming, every company under the sun is now talking a good game about alternative energy. But for Timex Group, known mostly for its digital watches, the decision to go green meant building one of the largest solar arrays in the northeastern United States.

Activated this morning, the 800-panell, $2.5 million project -- the largest in Connecticut -- spans 27 rows of 244kW solar panels along the eastern side of the company's Middlebury headquarters. Timex says that the photovoltaic (PV) array is designed to generate 285,439 kilowatt-hours of power annually, offsetting over 6.6 million pounds of carbon dioxide, 28,000 pounds of sulfur dioxide and 11,000 pounds of nitrogen oxide over the 25-year life of the system. The company has also contracted with a PV solutions firm Fat Spaniel Technologies, which is charged with facilitating the array's web portal.

"Converting sunlight into electricity is an important component of our plan to lessen our environmental footprint," said Timex Group President and CEO Hans-Kristian Hoejsgaard. "We are completely reviewing how we implement ongoing strategies for continued success in energy conservation, greenhouse gas emissions reductions, recycling and paper use - both in our operations and our consumer packaging."